You’re sitting at your DAW. Session open. Great libraries, solid template, real talent. You know how to make music that moves people.

But right now you’re staring at a video file someone sent you and you don’t know where to start.

Not because you’re not good enough. But because nobody ever showed you the process of going from a blank session to a delivered score that makes a filmmaker’s jaw drop.

That freeze is where most aspiring film composers live. Let’s talk about it.

Maybe you’ve been making music for years and you know film scoring is what you’re supposed to be doing. You watch a scene and you can already hear what it needs.

Or maybe you’ve already taken a few steps. Maybe you scored a student film or two — did it for free, felt that rush when your music played under picture for the first time. And it confirmed everything you already knew about yourself.

But then what?

That filmmaker moved on. You’re back at your DAW. And the question nobody answered is still sitting there: how do I turn this into something real? How do I find the next project — and actually get paid?

You’re not a beginner. But you’re not yet where you want to be. And the distance between those two places feels enormous.

And YouTube delivers. Great tutorials, DAW walkthroughs, composer interviews, score breakdowns. You spend hours watching and it genuinely helps.

Until you hit a new problem. Then you’re back searching. You find three videos that each say something slightly different. Two hours later you’ve learned something but you’re not sure how it connects to everything else.

That’s the thing about YouTube. The content is great but the framework is fractured. It’s a library with no index. Every new wall means starting from scratch, hunting for a thread that may or may not connect to the bigger picture.

No roadmap. Just answers to questions you haven’t learned to ask yet.

And then there’s the social media problem.

You know you need to be visible. You know filmmakers are out there on Instagram and in Facebook groups and that online relationships turn into real work. But what do you post? How do you come across as the professional you actually are? When a director lands on your page is it clear what you do? Is your work easy to find? Is there an obvious way to reach you?

For most aspiring composers the answer is no. Not because of talent — but because nobody taught them how to show up in a way that makes filmmakers want to work with them.

And then there’s the Facebook group moment. You know the one.

Someone posts: “Looking for a composer for my short film.” Within minutes the comments are flooded. Thirty composers. Fifty. All saying some version of “I’d love to work on this, here’s my SoundCloud.”

You’ve been one of those composers. I’ve been one of those composers.

Deep down you know it doesn’t work. You’re one voice in a feeding frenzy with no way to stand out. The filmmaker picks someone at random and you’re left wondering what you could have done differently.

The answer isn’t to comment faster. It’s to never need that post in the first place.

Imagine you wake up with a process. A clear, repeatable framework from blank session to delivered score — one that sounds professional, serves the story, and gets directors asking when you’re available next.

Imagine your social media actually working for you. Directors landing on your page and immediately understanding who you are, what you do, and how to reach you.

Imagine a client roster. Not huge — but real. Filmmakers who come back. Who refer you. Who value your work enough to pay for it.

Imagine submitting your invoice knowing exactly what you’re owed. Knowing what rights you keep. Knowing how to talk about money without apologizing.

Imagine the version of you that actually does this for a living.

That composer isn’t a distant fantasy. They’re one framework away.

I went to Berklee. Paid the tuition, sat in the classrooms, got the degree. And when I graduated I still didn’t know how to talk to a director, deliver a score professionally, price my work, or land a client.

Berklee taught me music. It didn’t teach me the job.

I spent years after graduation figuring that out alone — through trial, error, missed opportunities, underpriced gigs, and contracts I should never have signed. The real education happened after school. And it cost me far more than tuition ever did.

Here’s what I know now: the gap between musician and working film composer isn’t a degree. It’s a process. A learnable, repeatable process that has nothing to do with which school you went to — or whether you went to school at all.

I’ve watched bedroom producers with zero formal training land real film credits. I’ve watched conservatory graduates struggle to score a 90-second scene. The credential isn’t the variable. The process is.

So I built Score Your First Scene — the course I wish existed when broke, $60k in debt, and completely lost on how to actually do this job. A clear framework from blank session to delivered score to first paid client. Priced at less than the cost of a single Berklee class.

It launches July 1, 2026.

I’m opening a small group of early bird spots before the official launch — and I’m keeping the price locked for anyone who reaches out before those slots are gone.

If this is speaking to something you’ve been carrying around — that feeling that you’re close but can’t quite see the path

email me directly at -

[email protected]

before those spots fill up!!

Tell me where you’re at. What’s working, what isn’t, what’s holding you back. I read and respond to every single one.

The map exists. You don’t have to keep searching YouTube for it.

Tommy
Score School